The Government of India has set a goal to eliminate measles and control rubella syndrome by the year 2020. India launched one of the world’s largest vaccination campaign against measles-rubella on February 05, 2017. Till date, the campaign is completed in 28 states and more than 13 crore children (between 9 months and 15 years of age) have been successfully vaccinated with measles-rubella vaccine (date as on October 2018).

In Mumbai and Maharashtra, this campaign will be launched on November 27, 2018. During this campaign, 30 lakhs children will be vaccinated in Mumbai.

Measles is a highly infectious viral disease causing illness and death due to complications in the form of diarrhoea, pneumonia or brain infection mostly among brain infection less than 5 years of age.

While speaking to My Medial Mantra, Dr Santosh Revankar, BMC Health Department, said, “Even if your child has been vaccinated once, you must vaccinated him/her once again under this campaign. Every year, 367 children die due to measles and rubella in India. Early detection and prompt treatment can help save many lives. In the year 2017, Mumbai recorded 2,856 cases of rubella and measles. While so far in 2018 Mumbai has recorded 385 cases of measles and rubella.”

He added, “Although, the cases of measles and rubella are on the rise. Keeping this in mind the state government and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has launched this immunization campaign which will work in parallel with the immunisation campaign being carried out by the central government. Our aim is to ensure 100 per cent immunisation of each and every child in the general population. There are 4,056 schools in Mumbai which include all the private, public and municipal school.”

My Medical Mantra, BMC Health Committee chief, Archana Bhalerao, said, “This is a positive step taken by the state government. This immunisation programme is very important. And, it is compulsory that each and every child is vaccinated. This vaccine completely safe and very effective, we wholly support this immunisation programme.”

IMA Maharashtra secretary, Dr Parthiv Sanghvi, stated, “Private hospitals and doctors do not have access to the vaccine approved by the government. That is why it is essential that parents get their children vaccinated at the school or at a govt-run or civic-run hospital. These vaccine injections are solely in hands of government or civic health workers. This vaccination campaign will greatly benefit the overall health and development of the children. Through this immunisation campaign the central government hopes to completely eradicate the threat of mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) in India.”